Showcase



Patented Jan. 13, 1942 SHOWCASE Joseph E. Gauvreau, Somerville, Mass., assigner to E.. F. Kemp, Inc., Somerville, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May l, 1939, Serial No. 271,164

3 Claims.

My invention relates to show cases for use in displaying and dispensing various commodities or merchandise such as nuts, nut kernels, pop-corn, confectionary and the like, and it has for its object to provide an improved device of this class.

It is also an obj ect of this invention to provide an improved bin or crib for use upon a store counter or the like and whose contents will not only be attractively displayed to customers standing in front of the counter but can be conveniently dispensed and also conveniently replenished by the salesman or clerk from his position behind the counter.

To these ends I have provided an improved show case of the class indicated having the features of construction and mode of operation set forth in the following description, the several novel features of the invention being separately pointed out -and defined in the claims at thel close thereof.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a display bin or crib constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig, 1 but showing` the bin mounted upon a counter and disposed within a housing or case provided upon the latter.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the bin or crib shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line liof Fig. 2 showing a group or set of four bins slidably mounted upon the counter and held in position against relative sidewise displacement by the housing referred to later.

The new bin A herein illustrated is preferably made from sheet metal parts soldered or otherwise fastened together but any other suitable material may be employed. The bin A comprises a two-ply bottom wall I {L -Illa; two oppositely disposed at and relatively parallel side walls II, II of approximately truncated-triangular shape; a back wall I2 connected at its opposite sides with upward extensions of side walls II; an upper front wall section I3 connected at its opposite sides with said extensions; a lower front wall section Ill, and a forwardly inclined top wall I5. The top wall I5 is disposed some distance below and parallel with the proximate inclined upper edge or marginal portions IS of (Cl. S12-121) in this chute is at rest and effectively displayed to customers.

The rear end of shelf I5 is curved upwardly and merges into the back wall I2, while the forward end of said top wall is spaced away from the lower front wall section I4 so as to provide a passage I5a through which the material falls at times on to the bottom wall Ill-Illa.

The side walls II are made at their rear ends with marginal flaps II and the upper portions of these flaps are folded inwardly and soldered to the outer side of the back wall I2 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The lower portions of flaps I1 are folded inwardly into position against the inner faces of the sidewalls to which they may be soldered thereby stiffening and reinforcing said side walls and providing the lower portions of their rear ends with rounded edges.

The forward end portion of the inner ply Ila of the bottom wall may be curved inwardly and attached to the top of the lower front wall section I4 as shown to provide an inclined runway for the material that moves downwardly through the passage I5a and to some extent check or retard such movement.

The above described construction provides an upright hopper Ichamber or compartment B for holding a reserve supply I8 of nuts or the like, said compartment having an outlet I 9 at its bottom through which the material is delivered at intervals into the upper end of the inclined chute IE-I 6 which slopes downwardly toward the front of the bin. Also a receiving chamber or compartment c is provided beneath top wall I5 into which the material is delivered from the lower end of chute I5-I6 through the passage Ia. As will be clear, the receiving chamber C is open at its rear end so that its contents may be removed by means of a scoop in dispensing the material' to customers, an upturned rlip 20 at ,the rear end of the inner ply Illa of the bottom wall serving to prevent accidental discharge of material from the open rear end of chamber C.

The lower end of the upper front,wall section I3 is arched as shown at I 3a, Figs. 2 and 4, so that the top of the body of material that is supported by chute I5-I5 is arched or crowned transversely as indicated by dotted lines at I8a in Fig. 4 of the drawings. A

When the nuts I8 or the like are first poured into hopper B they flow down the chute I5-I6 into delivery -chamber C until a pile of material |8b is built up therein which is of sufficient height and weight to stop the downward flow through passage I5a, after which the chute l5-l6 is lled up and the material is then stationary, and remains so until a delivery is made. When a delivery is made from the pile ISb the latter is correspondingly replenished by a downward step movement of the material within chute I5-l6 and hopper B.

The above described bin may be used alone or it may be one of a set comprising a plurality of bins arranged side by side in a group as shown in Fig. 4 in which event I may provide a showcase housing D for inclosing the group of bins.

As herein shown this housing or case comprises two end walls 22 which include parallel base bars 22a whose front ends are connected by a cross-bar 22D, the base bars 22a serving to hold the bins against sidewise displacement and in closely grouped relationship and the cross-bar 22b serving as a stop to aline the several bins transversely.

The end walls 22 have fastened to them a vertical transparent lower front wall section 23 of glass or the like; a rearwardly inclined transparent top wall section 24 of glass or the like; a horizontal top wall section 25 of glass or the like, and two transparent side wall sections 2B, 26, of glass or the like. Other opaque panels 26a of wood or the like complete the side walls of the housing or case.

The upper portions of the side frames 22 include front bars 22C which are parallel with, and also in alinement with, the upper front wall sections I3 of the bins A, and to these bars 22e are fastened, by screws or otherwise, the opposite ends of a strip of sheet metal 21 whose outer exposed surface is chromium plated and polished to provide a mirror in which the display of material within the chutes IS-IG is visually duplicated to the customer when the structure is viewed from the front.

The bars 22a and 22D of the housing frame are fastened to the top of a counter 28 which serves as a bottom wall for said housing, and when the supply of material within the hopper B of a bin is to be replenished the latter is slid rearwardly on counter 28 far enoughto uncover the top l of the hopper chamber B and after re-loading the latter the bin is slid back into position against front stop bar 22h. A handle 2| provided on the bottom of the wall l5 of each bin may be utilized in thus adjusting the bin on the counter.

Any nuts or the like which may fall from either trough on to counter 28 are ejected through a slot 29 formed through the latter from one side frame 22 to the opposite side frame when the bin is returned to its position against front bar 22h.

The mirror 21 is disposed substantially perpendicularly with respect to all of the chutes l5-I6, and as a result it reflects forwardly images of the chutes and their contents, thus doubling the effective display. When the mirror is at right angles to the chute, as shown, the reflected images appear parallel with the chutes and as continuations of the same and their contents.

What I claim isi l. A bin of the character described comprising a bottom wall; oppositely disposed relatively parallel perpendicular side walls connected with said bottom wall; a forwardly inclined top wall connected at its opposite sides with said side walls below the top edges thereof so as to provide an open trough-like chute for holding and displaying goods, the forward end of said top wall being spaced rearwardly away from the front end of the bin so as to provide a passage through which the goods descend by gravity from said chute into a compartment beneath said top wall as the contents of said compartment is depleted through removal thereof at the back of said compartment. said side walls being made adjacent to their rear ends with oppositely disposed upward extensions constituting the side walls of a hopper for holding a supply of the goods, said hopper including a back wall connected at its lower end with the rear end of said inclined top wall, and a front wall whose lower end is disposed above the upper end portion of said inclined top wall so as to provide a passage through which the supply of goods upon said top wall is replenished automatically by gravity from said hopper. Y

2. In combination, a bin of the character described having its upper portion made with a hopper for holding a supply of material to be dispensed, said hopper having an outlet atits bottom; a downwardly sloping trough-like chute extending forwardly for a substantial distance beyond the front wall of said hopper so as to display its contents to view and into the upper end of `which chute the material is delivered from the hopper by gravity through said outlet, and a delivery chamber below said chute into the front end of which the material is delivered by gravity through a passage provided at the lower front end of said chute so as to form a pile of material within the front end portion of said delivery chamber by which the contents of the chute is normally maintained stationary, the contents of said delivery chamber being accessible for removal from the rear end of said delivery chamber and the supply of material within the latter being replenished automatically by downward ilow of the material through said outlet, said chute and said passage; a showcase xture in which said bin is mounted to slide back and forth, and a mirror element supported by said showcase iixture immediately in front of said hopper and above said chute when the bin occupies a position at the limit of its forward movement so as to re- Y ilect forwardly an image of the contents of said chute.

3. The combination of claim l, and wherein means is provided for supporting a mirror in position at right angles to said chute and in close proximity thereto so that the reflected image appears as an extension of said chute and its contents.

JOSEPH E. GAUVREAU. 

